Rule Breaker Extraordinare, Me.

I honestly don't know what's gotten into me lately. At C.P., there are these disciplinary actions called "steps" and if one breaks the rules, one receives a "step"...or something like that. Well, here I am, 3 days away from driving off into the sunset and I've already received 3 steps.

I'm a rebel, apparently.

I lost my employee I.D. on the beach two nights ago. It must have fallen from my pocket as I ran barefoot with pent up freedom and crazywild energy. Step 1.

I took an "unauthorized break" in the employee cafeteria that involved a slice of pizza and sitting down when I wasn't supposed to. One of the higher-ups walked over in her khakis and gave me the Look. Didn't you already have your break? Yes, but... And why are you eating pizza? Uhhh.... Throw the pizza away and meet me in my office after your shift is over. Step 2.

I went parasailing this morning over Lake Erie instead of showing up for work. Now let's be fair here... I was not supposed to show up until 1:30pm, but my TFL (Team Freakin' Leader) decided to change my starting hours without my knowing. She left five messages. I chose not to answer them. I floated by parachute above C.P for fifteen lovely minutes slowly regaining my sanity and dignity. Step 3.

I'm not the kind of employee who intentionally tries to screw things up. Honestly. I'm the kind of employee who does her job and quietly hangs in the background, the kind who (once noticed) is appreciated for her hard, quiet work and is acknowledged with a warm-hearted smile. I am not the kind of employee who repeatedly breaks the rules.

Wow. It must be something in the water here. I suppose I wouldn't know because heaven forbid if I take five seconds to slurp down sustenance. My sincerest apologies.

Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of pain killers.

It's not worth it. This whole bloody socks/limping/no breaks/unforgiveable hours thing.

I put in my one week notice today and am driving away into the sunset on the 30th.

Gave it my best, but sometimes my best is not what people are looking for... I think sometimes people want you to be super human and walk around for 12 hours every day with no sleep and no food and still smile. Gave it my best, but I am not super human, nor am I masochistic. I'm not one for unrelenting physical pain.

Screw that.

I will very much miss every lovely person who has given me hugs and made me smile. So much. I will miss every joke, every aching minute that we endured together, but no worries. I am the roadtrip queen. Crown me and send me on my way.

I have mixed feelings, but it's no fun when life is clear-cut. Muddled and messy, that's what I'm looking forward to... as long as I don't have to walk for 12 hours straight, I've got no complaints.

Welcome to the real world, she said to me, condescendingly.

There are multiple aspects of my job as a Sweep that I enjoy, most of them consisting of interacting with the guests and other workers. My feet ache so bad that I have no choice but to stop and chat with people.

For the past few days, I've noticed in particular one man that looks to be about sixty who is always first in line at Millennium Force. He wears the same florescent yellow shirt that reads "Single Rider Bob". I've talked to Bob a few times. He recognizes me and always asks about my feet; "How're those feet today, girl?" and I always ask him how many times he's ridden Millennium Force that morning, which typically is about 7 or 8 times. He's a fun one.

Then there are the people who read in the park. I've always wondered about those people. Although I am an avid reader myself, I would never think to bring a novel to an amusement park. It just wouldn't cross my mind, so naturally I'm drawn to those people. I went up to a man bundled in in blankets and rain ponchos reading on a bench. I had passed him several times while sweeping and had wanted to talk to him for a while.

After a few more passing strides, I walked over and asked what he was reading; he had just finished one of his kids' books, and was now on to something more thick, dense. He was waiting for his kids to finish riding their rides. He'd been reading for more than two hours now. Interesting.

I especially enjoy taking pictures for the guests. If I see a family struggling to get a picture with Snoopy or Charlie Brown, I'll offer to take one of them all. So far, I've taken more than a few pictures and I get to be creative about them. The families are always appreciative of my stopping to help, as am I thankful for the rest from walking.

It's a fun job, really. The only downfall is the constant shooting pain in my feet and legs. If there were no pain, I wouldn't have anything to complain about concerning the job. Albeit, I have not yet cleaned up the aftermath of an upset stomach or anything more than sticky cheese sauce and forgotten cigarette butts but I don't think vomit will be much different. Just find the nearest oil dry, wait for it to soak in, and scoop it into the dustpan (which I have decorated nicely with my name :)

I don't get paid much, but the hours are well worth a beautiful, much appreciated paycheck. At least I hope so.

"It's going to be a long day,"

So, here's the thing. Today was opening day at C.P and I work a split shift, meaning that I came in and worked from 7-1:30pm, and I have to go back from 6-Close. I'm rocking the limp. Every toe has a blister and the backs of my knees are so wickedly sun burnt that I cannot walk normal. It's quite impossible. Therefore, I am rocking the limp with a smile and a park map.

I've made friends with (most) everyone on my team (Area 2 Sweeeeeps!) and we all share guest horror stories during our breaks. It's fun. I have a slight thing for the boy who works the Iron Dragon (the coaster next to my break area). We smile at each other a lot; I give him rides to/from work and he gives me back rubs. It's the best kind of trade-off.

I'm drawn to the hippies - we go into the park after hours and play music on the beach at night. It makes my entire day of blisters and limping and crazy guests worth it.

Yesterday, a few of the girls on my team and I got to stay after our shift was over to test ride the Top Thrill Dragster, which also made every ounce of pain and fatigue worth it. There was no line, no wait, so I sat in the front seat with my hands up and eyes open. Oh, in those few minutes, how I adored working at the most amazing theme park in the country. It's the small perks like that that keep me going.

My roomie is...interesting. I got off work last night and limped to my dorm room. She gets up as soon as I walk in and asks if she can "pop my toes". Before I even get a chance to consider what that means, she has my feet in her hands and is literally popping my toes trying to make them crack. After I squirmed out of her grip, I excused myself to the bathroom and laughed for at least ten minutes. It was a bit unnerving, to say the least.

I'll try to put pictures up of me in my (very sexy) yellow jumper soon. I rock the yellow bow in my hair. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Welcome to The Jungle.

Well, I'm here and it's here and everything that I've been anticipating since January is happening to me and around me. Am I babbling?

I haven't slept since Saturday night. I eat one meal a day because I don't have time nor enough of a break. I walked 13,000 some steps today (which is roughly 6 miles) and the park hasn't officially opened. On an average day, I'll walk somewhere between 20-25 miles. I work six days a week, 8-12 hours a day. I work in the rain, and rain it does, all the time. Thank you Lake Freakin' Erie.

I've only been at Cedar Point for 4 days, but I am struggling. Don't feel bad if you don't have a job - no one wants mine. Apparently my job is punishment for other employees who don't follow the rules. Thanks, C.P. I'm glad my job sucks enough that the only way I can move in rankings is up.

Over the past four days, I've waited in various lines for approximately sixteen hours. I've made friends with a Jamaican boy who can't pronounce my name and another one from Ghana who likes to flirt. I've made friends with a guy who is so knowledgeable with technology that it never fails to impress me. I've made friends with a guy who sings better than I do. In four meager days, I've been hit on, glared at, laughed at, and smiled to. I've locked myself out of my room. I've taken a blood pathogens course and have been trained specifically on how to clean up bodily fluids such as but not limited to blood, feces, urine, vomit, and other disgusting discharge that makes me want to run away and never come back.

I would run away now if my legs weren't shaking uncontrollably, if I weren't so physically and mentally exhausted that the most anyone can really expect of me is that I show up with a dopey, sleep-deprived smile on my face and a broom in my hand.

Saturday is C.P's opening day. I come two hours before we open and stay an hour after we close - that's a cumulative of almost 13 hours. I am going to go crazy. I am already crazy. My knees shake when I walk, my hands shake when I hold a cup, and I forget what it feels like to not be busy. I forget what it feels like to be home and to relax. I'm sitting in McDonalds now mooching off of their WiFi because Borders has long since closed and I get no Internet in the jail that is my dorm (no joke, there is barbed wire fencing around the area).

If it seems like I'm complaining, I'm not. I'm venting because if I don't let all of this out somewhere, I'm going to explode, implode, exude nothing but flailing emotions that I can't bring to the surface. I'm thankful, thankful for this job...I'm just not used to it yet. I need time. My feet and knees need to stop cramping and blistering. My face needs to stop being sunburned (in the cloudy weather). My eyes need more rest than 3 hours a night.

I miss familiarity. I miss my family. As much as I hate to say this, I actually miss Behrend.

Just give me about 2 weeks to become familiar with all of my duties and struggles and I will be better equipped to handle whatever it is I'm feeling right now. Just let me sleep. And eat. Just let me slow down for a second.

All Things Lovely.

Things have really been shaping up, I think. My summer is slowly coming together, piece by piece.

1. I am taking time off for my 21st birthday to hit up Atlantic City. Super pumped.

2. I just found out that I am also allowed time off to attend a writer's festival in New York this summer which happens to be fully paid for. Super Super pumped.

3. I am actually getting excited about my summer. It's only one week away, and I'm looking forward to meeting some pretty amazing people.

4. Lots and lots and lots of writing and reading time. On the beach. Every day.

5. It's going to happen. I can feel it.

6. Below is a picture of me in Croatia. I think it pretty much sums up how I feel right now.